Extremely strict colleges...your thoughts?

[rbell]

So, I was reading a catalogue for a "Baptist Bible College" on an unrelated thread.

It was Faith Baptist Bible College: http://www.faith.edu

I had forgotten just how entrenched in rules some of these schools are.

• So...they search your dorm room and car, looking for CCM?
• They do surprise room inspections, and bust you for not making your bed?
• You're not allowed to turn on an overhead light in your room after curfew?
• Attending a movie is considered as serious a violation as assault and battery? (seriously??)
• Gotees are taboo--but moustaches are OK?
• Five classifications of attire, each with specific hours and buildings?
• Students are required to use the School Nurse for medical issues--or the college-approved local doctors??
• You cannot travel out-of-town without the Resident Assistant's approval?

Wow. If the goal is to treat 22 year-olds like junior high students, then I guess success has been acheived. I know that there must be guidelines...and that attendance at a Christian college is a privilege, not a right. But quite frankly, some of the rules put forth are onerous at best, and disturbing/creepy at worst.

Of course, I understand that folks are entering into this willingly (either that, or they're not bright enough to bother to look before they leap). But as a parent, I would hope that I wouldn't feel the need to send my kid to a place so frought with legalism that they do not learn to function in society.

Just MHO.

 

[Salty]

This is one of the few Christian schools that still have such rules.

Could be that parents want their kids in a proper environment.

At least you know the rules before you enter.

In a way, it is similar to joining the Army. Its tough, but they want the students to develop good habits and have a solid foundation

Would be interesting to hear some of the Alumni answer this post.

Actually, I was accepted at Faith years ago, but I ended up re-enlisting in the Army.

 

[sag38]

People who have daughters with questionabale reputations send them to schools like this.

 

[sag38]

When I was in the Army there were very strict rules during basic and AIT. Sometimes I was even told when to take a drink of water. Anyone remember, "Drink, water, drink"? However, once I reached permenant party so long as I was at formations and did my job, I was as free as a soldier could be.

 

[abcgrad94]

The college I attended had similar rules, except we were not REQUIRED to use the school nurse or certain approved doctors, and no one searched our rooms/cars for CCM.

We had a curfew. This ensured we were all inside before the front doors were locked up for the night. We had "lights out" time, for which I am thankful, because some of us were quite stupid and irresponsible at the time and would stay up all night and keep everyone else awake, too. We had random weekly room inspections which were no big deal. I simply figured out when this usually happened, based on the "inspectors" schedule, and I'd pile my whole mess on the bed. I'd get one mark for a messy bed and after inspection was over, I'd spread the mess out to where it belonged. (God has since punished me for this by rewarding me with marriage to a "messy" worse than me, which resulted in my becoming OCD about keeping a very clean house.)

None of these rules hurt me, neither were they presented in a legalistic manner as they are at other colleges. The only rule I truly hated was having to wear skirts/dresses until 5 PM every weekday, and on Sundays.

 

[John of Japan]

I don't see a problem with the rules. They're not as strict as what I grew up with. Any student who goes to Faith BBC knowing the rules ahead of time, and then knowingly and willingly violates them, deserves whatever he or she gets.

I went to BJU from 1970-1972, then Tennessee Temple from '73-'76. Both were strict, but I never minded the rules--I was there to study, not play around. Never got more than a few demerits, except maybe that time Chip won a motor scooter and we were pushing each other around on it in the dorm.... (Dr. Cliff wanted to buy the thing! :smilewinkgrin

 

[John of Japan]

People who have daughters with questionabale reputations send them to schools like this.

Or to any other Christian college.... What does a girl's reputation have to do with anything?? I mean really!

To put it another way, are you talking about my three sisters, who all went to strict fundamentalist colleges? Or my mother, who went to Wheaton back in the '40s when it was still strict? Or my grandmother, who went to an SBC college in the 1910s when they were still strict?

 

[Tom Bryant]

When I was in HS, a friend of mine went to a college that at some point they sent you to a dentist and made you get dental work. He had to have his jaw broken to mend what he did. They forced him to do that.

If someone cheated and they found out about it and didn't tell the school administration, both the person who cheated and the one who knew would be thrown out of school.

btw, it was some really strict school called West Point.

 

[jaigner]

Those kinds of rules are fundamentally problematic. They don't promote an atmosphere of questioning and pushing back. They instead promote a culture of legalism and regurgitation.

 

[glfredrick]

How do those rules prepare the ones exiting those type of colleges function in our world?

As I see it, the end result of this huge effort at personal holiness ends at a stone room with daily penance. Seems like that was tried before and failed.

I simply cannot find Jesus in any of that...

Jesus sent us out into the world to deal with real-live sinners. He hung around with, ate with, traveled with, and had in His inner circle people who were sinners. That was one of the points made against Him during his trial before the Jewish high priests.

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

As long as they are up front with the rules before hand I have no problem. It’s their school and you either agree to follow their rules or you go to school somewhere else. Kind of like some parents and the “My house, my rules” idea.

The potential problem I see and where this can border on legalism is how these rules are presented. If they are simply the rules of the school, that is fine. But if the school is trying to use a Biblical support for their rules, if they are saying that breaking these rules amounts to sin (other than the sin of breaking any rule of those over us) then I have a problem.

If they want to say, “We don’t want our student s to go to movies.” That is fine and there are plenty of good reasons for a rule like that. But if they say, “Going to movies is a sin and all people who go to movies are sinning. All ‘real’ Christians don’t go to movies.” Well then that becomes legalistic and is a problem.

 

[jaigner]

How do those rules prepare the ones exiting those type of colleges function in our world?

As I see it, the end result of this huge effort at personal holiness ends at a stone room with daily penance. Seems like that was tried before and failed.

I simply cannot find Jesus in any of that...

Jesus sent us out into the world to deal with real-live sinners. He hung around with, ate with, traveled with, and had in His inner circle people who were sinners. That was one of the points made against Him during his trial before the Jewish high priests.

Big, big thumbs up.

 

[rbell]

I'll restate: Faith is quite clear about their rules. Apparently, there are few, if any "surprises." You know what you're getting.

Let me ask this question--a slightly different approach: A military academy is obviously very strict. Is there a difference b/t a Faith College and West Point? Should there be? If there is a difference, what is it?

When I have more time, I'll respond more fully. In looking at the school and its rules, there are quite a few rules that don't bother me at all. I see the reasoning behind them.

Others, however (especially the requirement that you MUST see their doctors--and the equating of seeing a movie (ANY movie) with assault and battery), I find disquieting.

Yeah, I know..."If you don't like it, don't go there." I agree. But I think it's healthy sometimes to make sure we "sharpen" one another--and and ask ourselves, (as Christians, leader, educators, etc.,) "Should we approach this issue in this manner?"

 

[exscentric]

I am an alum by merger and the school I attended was similar. Rules up front, don't like em - don't apply - simple.

You might want to discuss their faculty, results etc. sometime as well.

I was in the Navy then in a few years attended. It was the school I wanted to attend, they had rules, I did not see a problem with them. Can't say as I remember any of the students caring about the rules either, in fact I'd guess they had more of them back then in the old days :smilewinkgrin:

Nothing "legalistic" about it that I know of. Legalism is related to working for your salvation so definitely not that :tongue3:

 

[Jon-Marc]

Anyone who hasn't learned self-control by college age will never learn it. However, those rules are way over the top and absolutely ridiculous. I was told that Bob Jones U wouldn't allow inter-racial dating among the students. Personally, I call that bigotry and discrimination. I have no idea if that rule still stands since it was 50 years ago.

 

[jaigner]

Anyone who hasn't learned self-control by college age will never learn it. However, those rules are way over the top and absolutely ridiculous. I was told that Bob Jones U wouldn't allow inter-racial dating among the students. Personally, I call that bigotry and discrimination. I have no idea if that rule still stands since it was 50 years ago.

You are exactly right. There are those who still purport those kinds of disgusting and dehumanizing regulations. I believe BJU has changed their stance, but it wasn't until recently.

 

[abcgrad94]

Anyone who hasn't learned self-control by college age will never learn it.

I would beg to differ with this. Many college aged young people are irresponsible and self-absorbed all the way through college, but change once they must support themselves and/or a family.

Rules are not a bad thing--it's how the rules are presented and why they are in place that cause objections.

 

[Salty]

... I was told that Bob Jones U wouldn't allow inter-racial dating among the students. Personally, I call that bigotry and discrimination. I have no idea if that rule still stands since it was 50 years ago.

The reason for that was many Asian parents did not want their children dating/getting married outside the Oriental race.

and as far as not turning your friend in for cheating - that is also a strict rule at West Point.

 

[freeatlast]

So, I was reading a catalogue for a "Baptist Bible College" on an unrelated thread.

It was Faith Baptist Bible College: http://www.faith.edu

I had forgotten just how entrenched in rules some of these schools are.

• So...they search your dorm room and car, looking for CCM?
• They do surprise room inspections, and bust you for not making your bed?
• You're not allowed to turn on an overhead light in your room after curfew?
• Attending a movie is considered as serious a violation as assault and battery? (seriously??)
• Gotees are taboo--but moustaches are OK?
• Five classifications of attire, each with specific hours and buildings?
• Students are required to use the School Nurse for medical issues--or the college-approved local doctors??
• You cannot travel out-of-town without the Resident Assistant's approval?

Wow. If the goal is to treat 22 year-olds like junior high students, then I guess success has been acheived. I know that there must be guidelines...and that attendance at a Christian college is a privilege, not a right. But quite frankly, some of the rules put forth are onerous at best, and disturbing/creepy at worst.

Of course, I understand that folks are entering into this willingly (either that, or they're not bright enough to bother to look before they leap). But as a parent, I would hope that I wouldn't feel the need to send my kid to a place so frought with legalism that they do not learn to function in society.

Just MHO.

While I am not speaking for or against these type of rules I do have a question. How is this legalism?

 

[rbell]

OK, let's make it a "lower-case L" legalism...maybe say, "a rules-bound approach to Christian living." It would seem to me that many of these rules are simply leftovers from cultural taboos, or "pet sins" of generations gone by. By no means all...but some. In the strict sense of "do this to be saved" legalism, you're right--this isn't the case. But having a life defined by restrictive, "Good Christians don't do this, or this, or this, or this..." seems to be a grace-killing kind of approach to me.

And frankly, some of the rules just seem to be in place to hold sway over the kids (the doctor/campus nurse being the best examples).

I guess my point is, Is it really healthy to go through a 22 year-old's closet and car, looking for Chris Tomlin 'contraband?' Are we raising a healthy 21 year-old when we tell them that going to a movie is as damaging as assaulting another person? Is it healthy to regiment a 22 year-old to the point of telling them when they can turn a light on?

I'm really interested in the "military" angle. Obviously, there's a very good reason for the strict discipline and structure at a military academy. But is there the same need for such discipline at a Christian college?

And in some ways, I would contend the Christian college is more strict--along the lines of moral behavior outside the walls of the campus--or what you listen to, etc.

And one other clarification: I'm not saying we should throw all the rules out...or that many don't have validity.